A look at the questions facing the Wild this season, plus the latest on Auston Matthews, Juraj Slafkovsky, Jeff Skinner, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Offensive depth and the health of goaltender Filip Gustavsson are among the three questions facing the Minnesota Wild this season.

The Wild’s offense took a hit this summer with the departures of forwards Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Marcus Johansson, who accounted for nearly 20 percent of their production last season. Acquiring Blake Coleman from the Calgary Flames last month should alleviate part of that problem.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (NHL Images).

Gustavsson remains uncertain for the start of the regular season after undergoing offseason hip surgery. The length of his recovery will affect the Wild’s goaltending depth. In the meantime, Jesper Wallstedt will be in the starter’s role with Calvin Pickard as his backup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The question left unasked was how the Wild will address their ongoing need for a first-line center. They’ve reportedly spoken with the Detroit Red Wings about Dylan Larkin, but the Wings’ asking price is currently too high.

Quinn Hughes’ contract status is another question that will dog the Wild this season. He’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July, and the longer he’s unsigned, the more speculation about his future, which could become an unwelcome distraction.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been rehabbing this summer from the season-ending knee injury that he suffered in March. He’s also been spending time with a sports chiropractor getting his back in shape.

Matthews’ health has been a concern since 2023-24, when he suffered an injury during a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Since then, he’s scored 60 goals over 127 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Matthews will be crucial to the Maple Leafs’ plans for a bounce-back performance this season. If he can return to his 60-goal season form, the Leafs should be in good shape to qualify for the playoffs after missing the cut last season.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky was named the 2026 Slovak Hockey Player of the Year on Friday.

Slafkovsky, 22, has won the award four times. This marks the third straight year he’s done so.

The Canadiens winger had a career-best performance in 2025-26, with 30 goals and 43 assists for 73 points, along with 12 points in 19 playoff games. Slafkovsky also represented Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing with four goals and four assists in six games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Slafkovsky still hasn’t reached his prime. He could be his country’s player of the year for the fourth straight time if he maintains the current trajectory in his development.

SPORTSNET: Jeff Skinner is heading to Europe after signing a one-year contract with Swiss National League club EHC Biel-Bienne on Friday.

The 34-year-old winger spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks. From 2010-11 to 2025-26, he has 379 goals and 333 assists for 712 points in 1,110 NHL regular-season games. However, he only appeared in five playoff games during that time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner had the misfortune of playing for some bad teams in Carolina and Buffalo for most of his NHL career. His only postseason was with the Oilers in 2025, and by that point, he was no longer the skillful offensive winger of his youth.

RMNB: Former Washington Capitals forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel is also heading overseas, signing a one-year contract with KHL club Dinamo Minsk.

Aube-Kubel, 30, began his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19. In eight seasons with the Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, and Minnesota Wild, he had 32 goals and 50 assists for 82 points in 310 regular-season games. He also had three points in 30 playoff contests, winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.

DAILY FACEOFF: Ryan Cuneo reported that Sportsnet is ending Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition after 18 seasons.

The show debuted in 2008 “to provide Punjabi-speaking Canadians with coverage, analysis, and commentary of the country’s national sport in Punjabi. It served a large portion of the South Asian diaspora within Canada by making hockey more accessible and relatable to members of that community.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The cancellation was based on low audience numbers, but it’s still a shame that this program will no longer be available to the South Asian community in Canada.